Cape Town has many beautiful places to visit and the
Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of them. It is
situated on the mountainside near Constantia and covers
many hectares of land. When you enter these gardens it is
like entering paradise. The hustle and bustle of traffic
and the city fade away and you find yourself in this most
beautiful of places.
For those who don't know this garden, it is the home
to many of the indigenous plants found in and around Cape
Town and South Africa. There is always a show of colour as
thousands of plants in the garden flower in their seasons.
At the moment there are proteas and many purple flowers in
bloom. The lovely king protea being the main flower on show
at the moment.
The gardens are laid out in beds with large grass lawns
in between them. There are many large oak and yellow wood
trees that provide shade and there are paths set out
amongst the beds so that visitors are able to see what is
in them. One area is especially set out for the visually
handicapped. Plants with strong scents grow in this area.
All visitors have to do is reach out and touch the plant to
smell the lovely aromas given off by the plants. This is
one of my favourite areas as I grew up amongst many of the
plants and know their smells intimately. Signage in this
area is also in Braille for blind visitors.
At the top of the garden on the highest part of the
mountain slope are the cycads (Bread trees). The trees date
back to the dinosaurs. The fruit looks like a large
pineapple. The trees are protected as they take many years
to mature. They are normally found in the Eastern Cape
where they grow naturally. Unfortunately as they are scarce
and popular a black market has developed. The authorities
have had to take measures to stop the trade in them.
Lower down the slopes you will find a bath that is known
as Lady Anne's bath. The story goes that she used to
come for a swim in it but unfortunately the story is
untrue. The bath was in fact built by a Colonel Bird after
Lady Anne had left the Cape. It is in the shape of a bird
and was used to filter water for his farmhouse that was
found lower down the slope. The water in this pool is very
clear, as none of the natural tannins of the surrounding
plants have entered the water. The water comes straight out
of the earth and does not run along the ground before
entering the pool. When we visited the gardens it was a
veritable league of nations. Sitting having a meal in the
restaurant at tables on either side of us, we had people
from San Francisco, Colorado and Australia. There were also
Germans, Italians and Chinese and Dutch people walking
through the gardens.
On the lawns between the beds there are a number of
African sculptures which visitors found very interesting.
They were sculpted from rock in the shapes of African
ladies in various poses. The number of visitors posing next
to them for photographs was very interesting. To spend a
day relaxing in the garden is a must. The visitors I saw
were just running in and having a quick glance and leaving
again. This is a complete NO NO. To really enjoy this
tourist attraction and the fantastic feeling of peace and
tranquillity, one has to spend a good number of hours just
savouring it. The restaurant can provide picnic baskets for
visitors who are then able to find a spot to sit down and
enjoy lunch and take in the views. There are a number of
birds in the garden, which are quite cheeky. The guinea
fowl will follow you around hoping for a handout if it sees
you with a basket. In the larger trees are a number of
squirrels and near the centre of the garden is a pond with
a number of ducks on it.
This garden is not only a garden but a natural theatre
as well. On summer evenings they have symphony concerts on
the lawns and thousands of people arrive for them.
It’s like a big family, most of whom pack a picnic
basket and come and have sundowners while listening to the
music. You can miss other venues and tourist attractions in
Cape Town but not this one. Visit this one on your free day
and spend the day.
A note from Geoff, the author of this article: a quick
and easy way to discover Cape Town is to read Turtle Essays
Ezine. To subscribe just send a blank e-mail to TurtleEssays-subscribe@turtlesa.com
or visit my site at http://www.turtlesa.com and
read the essays and articles on line.
